Harmony of Ocean and Sky
by Fifth Distraction
Summary: I've always thought that the ocean was the most beautiful thing I'd ever see, it felt so solid, trustworthy, safe. Feelings that seemed so hard for me to grasp onto my whole life, like they were just out of reach. I always told myself that one day I was going to get on a boat and just spend the day rocking among the waves so I could find those feelings. AU. DUAL POV KAIRI AND SORA
1. Where the Ocean meets the Sky

**Welcome to a world of absolute pleasure! At least, that's what I'd like to say, but with my writing style this story will inevitably become very scarring for most of you, including myself. I mean, what author actually LIKES to hurt their babies? Thanks to anyone who reviews ahead of time and I hope to see you in the future! If you have anything you want me to check out let me know and I'll read it as soon as I can! Now, let's begin!**

 _ **Sora**_

I've always thought that the ocean was the most beautiful thing I'd ever see, it felt so solid, trustworthy, safe. Feelings that seemed so hard for me to grasp onto my whole life, like they were just out of reach. I always told myself that one day I was going to get on a boat and just spend the day rocking among the waves so I could find those feelings. Of course, being that it was currently colder than the abominable snowman's heart outside right now, that plan wasn't happening anytime soon.

This must have been the coldest winter that Destiny Island had ever seen, and the cold was biting at my warm-weathered islander skin. My breath came out in long clouds of warmth, then disappeared into the fat, fluffy snowflakes that floated gracefully to the ground around me like tiny angels. The blanket of snow covering the sidewalk crunched loudly under my feet as I walked along, a satisfied smile playing carefully across my lips. A bone-chilling breeze cut through me and ruffled the coffee brown spikes that I sadly called my hair. I shook against the cold and pulled the black parka around myself. I was really proud of this coat, I'd saved up for a whole year so I could afford it. The wind passed and I let my shoulders relax, a thought popping into my head. _I wonder what Roxas wants to talk to me about? It must have been pretty important for him to call me out in this weather._ I huffed in silent aggravation of the cold and began to whistle as I walked, then kicked the snow drift in front of me. The snow caught a gust of wind and immediately blew back into my face. I stood there for a moment and waved my hands at the air in front of me to stop anymore snow from assaulting me.

That was when I heard the laugh of an angel. It wasn't mocking or insulting like I would have assumed I would hear after that embarrassing scene. It was light, happy, and full of life. I turned on my heel to find her, the source of the brief, warm angelic light. Automatically, my eyes connected with hers and I took in a deep breath. There was no vision of a beautiful face, but striking out against the dark and the snow was a pair of soft violet eyes, full of that same light I'd just heard and twice again as caring. I blinked, and as fast as she had appeared she was gone. I stood there a few more moments, staring into the darkness and praying that I could see her eyes again, **just one more time**. Finally, realizing that I had no such luck, I turned slowly back to walk down the street, risking a glance over my shoulder. _Who was that?_ I shook my head slowly as I walked, knowing that if Roxas and Ventus had been there to see that, I would never hear the end of it..

I kept up a rhythmic pace as I walked, my mind drifting out at sea in a daydream, the snow still crunching under my feet. But the sound was crisper now, clearer than a bell, Each snowflake glittered in the air like a diamond, and the sharp smell of winter wind chilled my lungs, giving me a sense of life. I reached Roxas's home in no time after that though, and soon I was walking up the driveway to my best friends home. It was three stories tall, the walls covered by a cream colored siding, a massive window facing out front on the bottom and top floors. Stepping up to the door, I knocked loudly on the solid oak, already hearing the squabbling of the two brothers on the other side. With a short shush, the yelling stopped and a voice called out.

"Who is it?" Roxas asked.

"It's me, you said to come over today right?" I answered. I heard the clicking of a lock and the door swung open to show Roxas in his usual outfit. A sleeveless, thin black jacket hugged his chest, the high collar reaching his jawline, with his trademark steel X charm dangling on a set of small chain links around his neck, and a pair of baggy black pants was gathered around his ankles. On his right wrist was a checkered metal band, and the entire base of his index finger was covered with a long white ring, the same for his middle finger but with a black ring. His blond hair had its usual spike to it and a pair of cobalt blue eyes looked me over for a moment.

"Let's just get this really quick," reaching out, he stuck a hand in my hair and shook all the snow out of it violently, "Come on in!" he beamed at me.

"Good to be back." I took a step inside and pulled off my coat, hanging it on a hook behind the door. I sniffed at the air for the usual scent of cinnamon rolls that came from the kitchen just down the narrow hall from me, and felt my entire body relax when the warm scent caressed my lungs, easing out the winter air. I looked around the door frame into the living room. Three couches arranged themselves in a U shape around a wooden coffee table in the living room, all of the couches were light brown in color and very fluffy. The carpet was black and dark brown like animal fur, and it covered the entire house, except for in the kitchen where it became a wavy brown tile. I knew that a fairly large TV was hung up on the wall just to the left of me. As usual, there sat two boys on opposite couches making sure not to make eye contact with the other. I held up a hand and waved at both of them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey" Ventus smiled at me apprehensively without turning his head.

"Hey Sora," the other boy, MY twin brother Vanitas, waved back. Roxas and Ventus were twins and looked insanely similar, like mirror reflections, but there was one difference. Where Roxas had cobalt blue eyes, Ventus had more electric blue eyes. The kept their blond hair the exact same style, and Roxas's hair was just a tad darker than Ventus's.

Then again, looking at Vanitas, you'd never guess we were related unless you could recognize how similar our faces were. He kept his spiked black hair a bit longer, but still a style akin to my own, and his eyes were amber yellow in contrast to my blue. He wore a red long sleeve shirt and a pair of black jeans held up by a iron studded black belt and a steel wallet chain hanging around his right hip. Ventus had a shirt on that was half white and half black with a high collar and a pair of pants similar to Roxas's.

"You didn't tell me you were going to be over today," I said with a raised eyebrow. He simply shrugged and gestured outside with a shake of his head.

"You saw my boat docked out there when you came in right? Where else would I be?" _That's true, we go shopping for groceries together and school is out right now._

"Fair enough, you plan on staying the night?"

"Probably, if you head home tonight I'll be back sometime around noon so I can change clothes and come back to keep working in the booth." I nodded in understanding. Roxas, Ventus, and Vanitas all went to Destiny Island Music Academy, one of the best schools in all of the worlds to get into if you wanted a career in music. While Vanitas had no talent at musical instruments whatsoever, he could single fairly well and was a God in the sound booth. He could make a deaf barking poodle sound soothing.

"We're gonna be up in my room if you need us!" Roxas yelled over to them as he began climbing the stairs, "be good now boys! No more fighting!"

"You hypocrite!" Vanitas and Ventus yelled back simultaneously, a smirk on both their faces. Smiling at them, I followed Roxas up two flights of stairs and to the first room on the third floor. The house was set up in a very strange way. On the bottom floor there was the kitchen, living room, and a small guest room meant for any visiting family. The second floor had another large room which could have been made into a family room, but instead it was converted into a music room for the boys and anybody who wanted to try singing to them. It included a recording booth, piano, microphones, and several sets of noise cancelling headphones. This floor also had two offices for their parents to work in, and their parent's bedroom, all soundproofed so they weren't bothered when someone was practicing. The third floor had three bedrooms, two for each of the boys plus a guest, and there was another living room, the walls painted grey and the massive window blocked out by black curtains, they all connected to with a TV and Xbox, a large black leather couch and neon signs hanging around a small bar stocked with soda and ice cream. It was fittingly named the "dark room."

For how large the rest of the house was, the boys all had fairly small rooms. Opening the door, we stepped into his room with a whiff of old sheet music fluttering by. A loft bed with a desk underneath it sat on the opposite end from the door and next to it was a closet full of shirts and a wooden dresser. His wall was littered with posters of different famous pianists and pictures of opera houses.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about Rox?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and pulled the desk chair out into the middle of the room, sitting in it backwards, my chest resting against the back, while Roxas climbed up on top of the bed, letting his legs dangle over the side. He looked me straight in the eye. _Oh no no no, he only looks at me like that when he's worried._ He took a deep breath and started.

"First off, are you okay Sora?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look a little shaken right now man. Did something happen on your way over?" My mind flashed again to those deep violet eyes. I felt the heat rise up to my ears. "Something DID happen!" he called out with a grin.

"No, nothing," I lied through my teeth, "anyway, how would YOU know that?" I asked while scratching my jaw with one finger, trying to pull him off the subject even a little.

"You forget that I've known you as long as I have. Whenever you're embarrassed your ears get red," he said, tapping his own, "and when you lie you do that thing where you scratch your face. So, spill. What happened?" He crossed his arms and waited, staring at me without blinking. I glared up at him in response, only to be shot down by a cocky lopsided grin.

"Fine, you win! Just stop it with that creepy grin."

"My grin is not creepy!" he argued, then waved his hand, "that's beside the point, continue." I took a deep breath and leaned in closer, trying to explain.

"On my way over, I kicked this snow drift and it blew back in my face. After I got done swatting at the air like an idiot I heard a girl laugh behind me," I sighed deeply, remembering the velvet tone of her voice. "She sounded like an angel. When I turned to look at her, all I could see were these gorgeous violet eyes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was just this brief moment of us looking at each other, but when I blinked, she disappeared." I looked Roxas in the eye and slowly, a tiny smile played on the corner of his mouth.

"I hope you figure out who she is before too long." I nodded in response then looked back up at him.

"So, what was it you called me over here to tell me 'because it just can't be said over the phone it's so cool,'" I mocked. He grinned and rubbed his hand together furiously.

"You obviously know about my parents," he began, a cocky smile plastered on his face.

"Big time producers, famous for the work they did with Utada Hikaru. Yada yada yada, I know the whole story top to bottom by now. So, what about it?" I propped my head against my leg and waited for the explanation.

"Well, when we were practicing the other day, just sorta joking around, and you took Ventus' solo, it turns out that they left the booth recording from their last session," the smile was growing wider on his face.

"And what about this has you smiling like a maniac?"

"Now, Sora, before I say anything promise me you won't get mad, okay?"

"Why would I-"

"Just do it!" he pointed a finger at me and tilted his head, a single eyebrow raised.

"Fine," I put one hand over my heart and held the other one up in the air, "I promise I won't get mad." He let his finger down and took on a serious note.

"Sora, the three of us are continuing to go to Destiny Isle Music Academy once winter break is over. When we heard the recording we thought 'well, he won't be **too** mad at us' and sent the recording of you in to the dean so-" I held up a hand to get him to stop and began rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Roxas, please tell me you did not send your school the recording of my singing."

"...We did…" he stated.

"Okay, how much did they laugh at you for making them waste their time like that?"

"They said they want you transferred into the school by the end of winter break," he deadpanned.

"Just like I...what?" my head raised as fast as my eyebrows and I looked back up at Roxas, who was grinning like an imp.

"You, my friend, have been accepted the one of the greatest schools for musicians in all the worlds."

 _...Huh?_

 _ **Kairi**_

Ever since I was a little kid I have loved to stare up into the sky, getting lost in the deep blue gradience and imagining myself flying free in the clouds. It made me feel like destiny could be real, that everything would always end up okay as long as I could see the sky, it made me feel safe. I want to go skydiving just once, so I can actually be part of the sky and feel that sense of careless fun and freedom. However, my fear of heights and the sudden onset of snow across the island stopped me from ever getting near an actual plane.

 _Man is it cold out here._ I inwardly sighed, pulling the old grey jacket around myself even tighter, trying to keep out every single wisp of cold that I possibly could. A freezing gust hit me square in the face and I shivered. I was just about to curse under my breath at the weather when I heard someone behind me begin to whistle in a deep and melodic tone. Curious to see who it might be, I turned around and saw the silhouette of a boy walking along, then kicking a snow drift and catching most of it in the face. A hand to my mouth, I giggled slightly and he whipped around. In that moment our eyes connected as though they'd been drawn to each like magnets that had waited years for a connection.

Looking at me through the haziness of the fog was the most striking pair of cerulean blue eyes I'd ever seen. They weren't the kind of blue that cut daggers through you, but seemed to convince your soul to show itself. His eyes were as tender, fun-loving, and free as a bird. I felt my cheeks grow hot, and turned around before he had the chance to see. In small, quick steps I continued to scurry away towards my house.

The snow crunched loudly under my feet, and with the image of his eyes still in my head, I turned around one last time to see if I could a better look at him. I wanted to see his eyes again, **just one more time**. But all I caught was his silhouette again as he ran a hand through his hair and began walking in the other direction. Sighing at my own expense for the terrible embarrassment that just happened, I took up my pace and started towards home without another moment of hesitation, my mind soaring through the clouds. _Who was that?_

Without thinking about it I made my way to the two story, wood sided home that belonged to my mother and I, put my key into the doorknob of the great pink door, and made my way up the stairs and into my room.

I came in greeted by the warm glow of the christmas lights strung around my ceiling at random, then promptly flopped down face first on my bed and the comforter, his eyes popping into my mind again. A light flickered to life in my chest. I laid there totally still for a while before my phone started buzzing next to my ear. The first time I let it go to voicemail, but when they called back I picked up the phone and held it in front of my face. My mood was lifted in a heartbeat when I saw a pale face with lilac purple eyes and flowing platinum blonde hair on the screen, the name 'Namine' over it. Sliding my thumb across the screen I quickly answered.

"Hey! How's it going?" I asked.

"Amazing! Hey, I have a quick question for you," Namine's voice was practically the embodiment of pure light, even over the phone. She'd been my best friend for years now, even after she started at DIMA this year as a sophomore.

"Sure thing, what's up?" I sat up and leaned against one hand.

"First of all, is there any chance you could stay over tonight?"

"Um, hang on, let me run downstairs and check with my mom really quick."

"Okay!" her voice rang cheerily. I set the phone down on the bed and opened my door back up, running down the hardwood stairs and into the living room. I glanced around, looking for my mom. The white walls reflected the sun that was starting to peek through the clouds a little bit, showing off the puffy dark brown loveseat and recliners facing a large TV, two wide bookcases hugged the right wall and a computer desk took up the left. Mom was sitting at the computer typing with earbuds in, so the clacking of the keys wouldn't take her off pace while writing. I walked up slowly this time and put my hand gently on her shoulder. She turned to me and pulled out an earbud, smiling brightly, her long, soft auburn hair falling out of its ponytail.

"Hey kiddo! You need something?"

"Yeah, Namine just called and asked if I could spend the night. Would that be okay?"

"It's more than okay, her mom called and talked to me about it earlier today. She said something about Namine having a surprise for you."

"Really now?" I said, curiosity seeping into my voice.

"Yes!" she grinned. "Now go on and pack, I'm going to work on this a bit more and then I'll drive you over, snow like this is trouble to drive in for you born islanders." I nodded and kissed her cheek, then ran upstairs and grabbed the phone off the bed.

"Namine? You still there?" I asked.

"Yup!"

"I got the okay to spend the night, so what was the real question?"

"Okay, how would you feel about finally meeting my boyfriend tonight?" _So THAT was her surprise!_

"I'd love to! He's all you ever talk about anymore, I want to meet the man that stole my spotlight!" we both giggled and then I heard her sigh.

"Okay, then when you get here we'll walk over, he's just a couple blocks North from where I live."

"Sounds perfect! I'll see you in a few minutes!"

"See ya!" I picked up a bag from underneath my headboard and began filling with with overnight things from the dresser that sat at the foot of my bed. Looking down at my outfit, I realized that it wasn't exactly the best for meeting your best friend's boyfriend. Biting my lip, I walked into my closet and searched for something that would fit the occasion a bit more. Finally, I decided on a pink dress I'd gotten on a shopping trip with my mom a while back, it had zippers all over it and a small black hood on the back. Stepping out of view from the door for a second, I put the dress on with a pair black tights. After loading my notebook into the bag and slipping on my jacket I went downstairs and found my mom waiting by the front door.

"You ready munchkin?"

"Yup!" We slipped out the door and mom took a deep breath, letting it out in a big puff. Mom's originally from some mountain range, so weather like this is when she's in her best mood. She nodded to me and we climbed into the car. One thing I'm always very thankful for about my mom, sitting in silence with her isn't totally awkward like I know it is with most kids and their parents. When we pulled up to Namine's house, mom gave me a quick hug and kissed my forehead before I got out of the car and walked up to her house. Where my home was two really big floors, Namine's was just about as average as it got. Her room was upstairs and her parents slept in the master bedroom in the basement, the kitchen was big enough for maybe three people and the living room was about as big as my room.

I walked up to the door and hit the small silver button, hearing the familiar gong like bell ring inside. Namine opened the door a second later and let me in, hugging me tightly before letting me put my bag down. She was wearing a white long sleeve and jeans with a pair of black snowboots, simple but beautiful. I took a step back and smiled brightly at her, waggling an eyebrow.

"What was that for?" she laughed.

"So, I finally get to meet Mr. Perfect then do I?" a deep blush formed on her cheeks and she began twiddling her thumbs. "Don't worry, I won't tell any embarrassing stories or anything like that, unless he asks. Anything I should know before we head over?" Her eyes got wide and she put a hand to her mouth.

"Yes! I can't believe I almost forgot! He's a twin, his brothers name is Ventus. One of his old friends should be there too, his name is Sora, Roxas had some amazing news to tell him!"

"What's that?"

"Well, Roxas told Sora that he should have sent in an audition to DIMA all year but he wouldn't do it because he doesn't think he can sing. So, Roxas recorded him in secret and sent the recording in. The school wants him transferred in by the end of break!" she squealed and jumped up and down. I smiled at her and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, well you got get your jacket and then we'll head out. Sound good?' She nodded swiftly and ran up the flight of stairs to her room, returning seconds later, a baby blue jacket slung around her shoulders. I offered her my arm like a butler would and we began our short walk in the blistering cold. "So I take it you've met Sora before?" I asked, the curiosity getting the better of me.

"Yeah, a few times actually. He's really nice! He actually has a twin brother too, his name is Vanitas. Basically, Roxas and him met when they were really little because their moms signed all of them all up for some weird twin experiment. The four of them have been hanging around together ever since I guess. It was really weird this one time though, I asked Sora what his mom was like and he got this depressed look, he left right after without saying anything and Roxas was really quiet after that. I haven't asked about it since." I nodded my head and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy. _I wonder what happened to his mom?_ Looking over at Namine, I could see her eyebrows scrunched together in deep thought, her lips slightly pursed. I could tell that Namine was getting in a funk from thinking about it, so I elbowed her lightly in the arm and when she looked over at me I wiggled my eyebrows again, making her laugh.

"How far are we?"

"See that house just on the corner there? The tall one?"

"That's his house?!" It was more like a small mansion rather than a house, three stories tall with massive windows, and the driveway was made out of colorful tiles arranged to look like a paopu fruit with a musical note in the middle.

"Yup!"she answered cheerfully, as though this was entirely normal. My jaw dropped to the ground in wonder. _What do his parents DO for a living?!_ Picking up said jaw, we walked up to the front door and knocked, it sounded solid. A moment later a boy with black hair and yellow eyes opened the door, leaning against the frame like he was pretending to be cool.

"Hey babe, can I get a kiss?" his voice was all raspy, but it was almost too easy to tell he did it on purpose, then he winked at Namine and she rolled her eyes.

"Kairi, this one right here is Sora's twin. Vanitas, let us in already. It's cold out here," smirking, he moved out of the way and began walking to a different room.

"Roxas is recording 'River Flows In You' **(A/N: Actually a song, if you haven't heard please listen to it!)** again right now," his voice was normal now, low and gruff. "Sora's in Roxas's room right now and he's doing that thing where he sticks his tongue out a little so I assume he's practicing to record the REAL audition piece." He then mumbled to himself, "lucky jerk even got a good song." Namine coughed and I saw her head twitch to me slightly, Vanitas looked back and forth for a second before catching the hint. "Oh! Sorry, I'm being rude. I'm the younger twin, Vanitas, nice to meet you," keeping one hand in his pockets he reached the other out and shook my own.

"Kairi, it's nice to meet you too." Without another word he turned around and held a peace sign above his head as he walked away. "Well he's...different."

"Yeah, I know. If they didn't look so much alike I would never know that Sora and him were even related to one another."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head in a question.

"Well, Sora is usually this really happy guy that's full of life and makes you think about that quiet on a summer night. But Vanitas has always made me think of a windy autumn night," she sighed deeply, "I know that I'm describing them strangely," and shook her head slowly, then took a deep breath and turned back to me. "Come on Kairi, we should head upstairs so that you can meet the man of the hour!" she began walking up the stairs slowly, turning around and putting a finger to her lips so I would know to be quiet. But because I was so nervous, any time the stairs creaked I would start apologizing.

As we got closer to the top of the flight of stairs we were on, I began to hear someone playing slowly and beautifully on a piano. It was like I could feel myself dancing gracefully among the stars and moon just by listening to its careful lullaby. I could feel part of my soul connect to the song and hold on tight, like a child did to their parents when they were leaving home.

"Oh my God." I raised a hand slowly to my mouth in wonder at the way each note was pulled perfectly from the page, the song was slowing down now and every note hung in the air and resonated as though int tune with the universe, creating a deep silence in the moments between. I got to the top of the stairs and looked at Namine. She was standing in the entryway to the room where that sweet melody was flowing, tears building up in the corners of her eyes, a bright and loving smile on her face. I stepped up next to her and looked in. A grand piano sat in the corner of a wide room with musical stands and microphones scattered about, sunshine blond spiky hair peeked out just from around the raised lid. The walls were layered with a deep red felt and the hardwood floors shined in the blinding stage lights. The far wall had a large window next to a door that allowed access to the sound booth. The song struck up slightly faster again and I looked back to the piano

I could see his body swaying in time with the music, all the emotion in this song was clearly coming from the very core of his being, the piano matching him as naturally as speaking to most others. We both stepped into the room and watched him in full view, his eyes were closed and his fingers fluttered across the piano with the grace of a ballerina.

Finally, the last few notes rung out and left us in awe. His eyes opened slowly and, noticing that we were standing there, he looked over and his eyes locked onto Namine's strongly.

"That was beautiful Roxas," she said quietly, walking over to him carefully, each step measured. His face got slightly pink and he stood up, walking over just as gently and grabbing her hand in his own and kissing the back of it softly.

"Thank you," he straightened up and held her hand, looking over at me. "Sorry about that, guess we must be pretty embarrassing to watch huh?" _What is he talking about?_ I put a hand to my cheek and felt the intense warmth graze my fingers.

"Oh…"I said in sudden understanding. I smiled over at him and shook my head, putting my hands behind my back. "Not at all, it was really sweet," I nodded my head to their interlocked fingers. "I can see now that I never needed to worry about Namine to start with." He smiled at me gently before bowing slightly and taking on a different energy, one that fit his look a bit more.

"Well, I hope you liked it! It's what I'm performing at the Valentine's Day concert in a couple months!" he smiled impishly.

"I can't wait to come see the full thing then!" I grinned back at him as his infectious energy washed over me.

"Hey Roxas, where's Sora? I was hoping Kairi would get the chance to meet him. He didn't already go back home did he?" Namine looked up at him with a single raised eyebrow, kind of like 'I know you're hiding him somewhere.'

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" His hands shot up into the air in defense, then he put them back down and laced his fingers with hers once again. "He's up in my room going over the lyrics a few more times before he comes down to record the song. He should actually be down any minute…" an evil glint flashed across his face and he looked at both of us with a toothy grin. "He doesn't know you're here yet."

"No, he doesn't," Namine said slowly with a curious look.

"How would you guys feel about waiting in the sound booth over there while I have him sing? I'll keep the windows dark so he can't see you. The guy needs an outside opinion, he won't believe me or the other two idiots downstairs."

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"Doesn't sing in front of them," he shrugged. Namine looked over to the booth and back to me several times. She quirked an eyebrow up at me and I nodded back, an evil grin dancing across my own lips. Just then, we heard someone coming down the stairs, a soft thud echoing over to us.

"Hey Roxas, you ready to get started? I need to sing this while I still have the right image in my head!" a voice as smooth and melodic as the wind rebounded off of the walls around us. Roxas panicked and opened the door, waving for us to get in. Once inside he pointed to a large knob that read "Window" and closed the door, I reached over quickly and turned it all the way to the right, the window tinting as fast as I could turn the dial, and a light above the window on our side lit up, "Invisible." We looked at each other and flashed a thumbs-up.

A moment later a boy walked into the room with sheet music in one hand. He was wearing dark jeans that fit perfectly with a long silver wallet chain dangling down his to mid-thigh, and a brown leather belt. The side of his shirt was tucked into his jeans, the navy shortsleeve had a hood on the back, and dangling from his neck was a set of large steel chain links that came down and hooked onto either side of a simply designed crown. His hair was long and spiky, the same color as coffee, complimenting his lightly tanned skin well. He had a hand rubbing the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut tight in concentration. Just as Vanitas had said, the tip of his tongue barely peeked out from between his lips. He pulled his hand away from his nose and looked over at Roxas with a quick half-smile.

A gasp caught in my throat as I looked at him. Those eyes, they had to be. There was no mistaking the brilliant cerulean eyes that mapped the whole room gently, then settled on his friend.

 _ **Sora**_

"How much time do I have before Namine gets here?" I asked, walking up to Roxas.

"Plenty, I think. She called a few minutes ago and told me she was going to be late," he rubbed a hand against the back of his head and looked at the ceiling. _What is he plotting?_ I nodded, pretending not to notice, and slapped the music against my hand, a wide smile spreading across my face.

"Let's get this started then." He nodded and walked over to the piano, brushing off the seat before pulling himself closer in, his fingers poised above the keys and a smile on his face.

"I know it usually isn't performed with your voice type, but I really think the judges made a good call with giving you 'All of Me.'"

"You only think it's a good idea because this way you can be there at the audition," I said, looking at him over my shoulder as I turned to face the microphone. I stared into the empty black window of the sound booth and took a deep breath, looking over at Roxas and nodded to him. He closed his eyes and his shoulders began to sway in time with the music as his fingers danced across the keys. Another deep breath and I closed my own eyes, my hands wrapping around the microphone.

 _What would I do without your smart mouth?_

 _Drawing me in, and you kicking me out_

 _You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down_

 _What's going on in that beautiful mind_

 _I'm on your magical mystery ride_

 _And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright_

 _My head's under water_

 _But I'm breathing fine_

 _You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

 _'Cause all of me_

 _Loves all of you_

 _Love your curves and all your edges_

 _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me_

 _I'll give my all to you_

 _You're my end and my beginning_

 _Even when I lose I'm winning_

 _'Cause I give you all of me_

 _And you give me all of you, oh oh_

The notes felt right as the vibrato rolled through my body, the usual smooth tenor of the song replaced with my own bumpy baritone. I could feel my voice resonating in my chest. That's when I could sense it, my own true version of this song was just ahead of me, it was in reach. I added more air to my voice and opened the back of my throat, the resonating in my chest moving up and out into the room. I could see the picture I wanted to paint with this song in my head, of a young couple sitting with each other on a bench in the middle of winter, their child playing in front of them, the sunlight reflecting off of a million dazzling snowflakes as delicate as the first laugh of that child.I had a flood of emotion pour into my body and I sent every drop into my voice, I could feel the tone of the song change, becoming powerful and large rather than quiet and reserved. Just before the end of the song, Roxas stopped playing abruptly. I opened my eyes and waited for a moment, then turned to him, worried that he was going to tell me how much I needed to improve before sending it in. After all, it wasn't just some ordinary music school I was trying to get into here, it was at the top, meant for people professionally trained since the day they could speak.

"Look, Roxas I know I need to work on it some more but-" in a flash he was across the room with his arms around me in a suffocating bear hug. "Uhhh…" he bounced back just as fast and started sprinting in place, a massive and goofy smile across his face.

"I love it when you do that!" he practically yelled.

"When I do what?"

'That! When you get rid of all that doubt and start really singing! It's so cool! There's so much emotion and GAH!" he began shaking me by the shoulders, "I just know you're going to make it in!" I put a hand on his shoulder and had him stop shaking me, a smile on my face now too.

"That's some mighty high praise from the prodigy who is known as 'The Boy with a Piano for a Soul.'"

"Damn right it is! And it's well deserved too!" he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and held out a fist, rolling my eyes, I held up my own and our fists pounded against each other. "Alright, now that we've established just how good you are, Namine! Come on out!" I felt the color drain from my face and my heart sink. _That's what he was plotting!_ The door to the sound booth opened up and Namine stepped out smiling just as big as Roxas was, she ran up and hugged me too, squealing lightly. She pulled back and her hands started flying all over the place.

"That was so good!" her hand shot out like a bullet and slapped Roxas' arm hard, "why didn't you tell me he could sing like that?" He smirked and rubbed the back of his head, a habit I mentioned before that showed automatically he'd been planning something.

"Thought it'd be better to leave you with a few surprises," motioning for her to come closer he whispered to her. "Is Kairi okay?" Namine eyes glazed over for a second and then she ran back into the booth. _Oh great, and now a total stranger heard me._

Namine emerged a moment later with another girl. Bright eyes met mine and I recognized her without even a moment of thought. Those violet eyes stared into my own once again, all of my troubles melting away around me, and everything seemed to fall into place, in that moment the world finally made sense. I was able to see her, in all of her gentle beauty. Her skin was pale like milk, and straight auburn hair flowed over her shoulders. She had on a pink dress with zippers all over, the fabric hugging the enticing curves of her slim body ever so smoothly, a black belt tightened the dress delicately around her waist. Dangling around her neck was a small gold locket, it reflected the studio lights and glinted like a polished diamond. She must have realized how long we'd been looking at each other because her face became cherry red and she stared down at the floor.

Roxas nudged me with his elbow and looked back and forth between the two of us, then mouthed 'you two know each other?' I waved the question aside with my hand and a shake of my head, and finally remembering that there was this thing called MANNERS, I held out a hand to her. She looked back into my eyes briefly, causing my heart to skip a beat, before shaking my hand. Finally, she met my gaze and held it, this time confidently. Feeling reassured myself, I grinned and cleared my throat.

"My name's Sora, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Kairi, it's nice to meet you two," she shot me a small smile and I swear I could hear the angels singing of heaven. But more than that, her voice was even sweeter than I remembered, it sounded like the melodic whisper of a spring wind. I took a step back and, realizing that Roxas had tricked me into singing in front of other people, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, turning us around away from the girls.

"Roxas, I swear by all that is holy if you hadn't brought Namine here to protect you, you would be on the floor for making me sing something like that in front of someone." He smirked at my threat and waved a hand.

"Psh, you know you're happy that they liked it. I saw your ears getting red just a second ago." _Dammit!_ I shoved him away from me, both of us smiling.

"Shut up, nerd," I stuck my tongue out at him childishly and turned the two of us back around to face the girls. Kairi was whispering to Namine hurriedly, and a look of understanding fell across her face. Namine's grin spread infectiously across her face and she started poking the other girl in the side, and as she whispered something back Kairi's face grew even more red and she tried to walk away. Only to end up walking straight into my chest, sending her flying back in a whirlwind of waving hands and apologies, my own ears felt like they had just been dipped in molten lava.

Thankfully, it was that moment that Ventus decided to poke his head through the doorframe. He looked at all of us for a second before entering, he made his face longer and put one hand behind his back, the other held in front of him at an angle. He looked like an old snooty butler.

"Excuse me sir Sora, but your brother requests your presence in the foyer. He asked me to deliver a message as well, Ahem," he lost the look and flipped me off, using the finger to pull down one eyelid while his tongue stuck out. "Hurry up!" A perfect imitation of my brother. He got the butler air again and walked out of the room. I looked over at Roxas and he shrugged, confused as I was. I ran a hand through my hair, walking out of the room and down the stairs with the other trailing behind me. My twin stood at the front door with his fleece coat on, his hand playing with his wallet chain.

"What's up Vani?"

"For the love of everything, please don't use that nickname," Vanitas sighed deeply and looked up to me with a dead serious expression. "I've got some pretty awful news." I felt an uneasiness growing in my chest at his words, then quirked an eyebrow and rolled my hand, telling him to explain, and with another big huff, "Yuffie is getting into town soon to visit for Christmas, she just texted, and if she sees that we haven't cleaned the house yet-"

"She'll turn us into trophies to hang on her wall…We gotta get back to the island" I gulped, looking at my twin, both of us putting a hand to our throat at the same time. I reached over and pulled my parka off the hook instantly, turning around to look at Roxas. "Gotta go bud, you know how it is." He nodded and began pushing me out the door.

"Get going! I don't want to go to your funeral this early in life!"

"Nice meeting you Sora!" Kairi called after, I turned my head and waved as my foot crunched onto the snow. The next second I was looking at my twin.

"I'll go get Yuffie from the train station, you take one of the boats and go clean the house while we have time, I'll try to stall as best I can." He nodded at my plan and we took off in separate directions, my breath coming out in big white clouds as the snow crunched loudly under my heavy footfalls.

 _ **Kairi**_

"Did he just say 'we have to get back to the island?' Aren't we already on an island?" I asked in confusion, looking to Roxas for details.

"Well, it's sorta a long story," he ran a hand through his hair, putting the other on his hip. "Okay, I'll just start here then. Have you ever seen that really small island about ten miles off the coast?" I nodded and he continued. "Well, Sora and Vanitas found out that there family used to own this small beach house over there, so when they needed to find a place to live we all went over there and fixed it up. They even built themselves a boat each out of some of the trees on the island to get back and forth, everything but the engine on the back was made themselves." Another spark of curiosity shot through my brain.

"What do you mean by the needed to find a place to live? What about their parents?" Namine nodded, wanting to know that answer too. But this time Roxas just shook his head.

"All I can say is that they aren't around anymore. If you want the story, you gotta ask one of them yourself and hope they're in the mood to talk." But Namine tried to butter him up, clinging to his arm and bringing her face close to his with her lips pursed, running a hand through his spikes slowly and deliberately.

"Please Roxas?" she cooed. He looked flustered for a moment, his face growing hot pink before he grasped her hand and pulled it away.

"Sorry Nam, but this one isn't my story to tell." Her face turned into a pout and she turned away from him, but a second later she sighed and let her head rest against his chest.

"Okay."Namine let out a small sigh as he began petting her hair, he then turned to me.

"So Kairi, ready to get recording your audition for DIMA now?"

 _...Huh?_

 _Of course, back then I didn't know about your past, I didn't see the shadow hidden by that shimmering smile and those glowing eyes. If I had known, I'm sure things would have turned out a bit differently. And not in a good way. I'm glad you told me that weekend on the island, as the rain pelted the windows and winds thundered as they slammed against the walls of your little home._

 **~Hello there my ever so endearing readers! I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter to this hopefully long-running story! With almost too many ideas to move forward with, these chapters might get muddled and fast-paced in a bad way at times, so I hope you'll call me out on that so I can fix it. Review, favorite, or follow and I'll dance like a happy man!**


	2. Thank You for Being My Family

**Alright! If you're actually around to still read this then thank you! I've decided to round each chapter to somewhere in the neighbourhood of 8,000-9,000 words so I can make sure to get a lot done each chapter and for special occasions, like next chapter, they'll be somewhere around 10,000. Now that that's out of the way, let's begin!**

 _ **Sora**_

 _Oh God, Vanitas, I seriously hope you get the place clean before we get back._ I stood just inside the train station on a dark cement floor, waiting for my older cousin, Yuffie, to step off of her train. A chilling breeze was sweeping waves of snow up and down the tracks. Sighing deeply, I closed my eyes and ruffled the soft brown hair on top of my head, hoping to shake out any snow that might have gathered within the gravity-less spikes. Trains were bustling in and out of the station every moment, but I knew I had to wait for that one specific train that traveled from Hollow Bastion to here.

Then, as if reading my mind, that same train slowly rolled to a stop on the tracks in front of me, the dark iron walls were accented by deep red and yellow pipes winding their way around the smoke stack. It hissed loudly, with a puff of steam shooting into the air, and the door slid open. A few people poured out and I moved out of the way for them before standing back where I had been. Then, a girl in skinny jeans, black converse, and a navy longsleeve shirt with a black jacket over it stepped out of the train. Her eyes were such a dark brown they almost looked black, and her hair was black like coal and cut to just barely reach her shoulders. She pulled a bright red rolling suitcase behind her.

"Sora!" She yelled, her smile wide, throwing her free arm into the air.

"Hey Yuffie," I grinned back. She threw her arm around my neck and hugged me quickly.

"Geez, if you get too much taller than you are now I won't be able to reach you all the way up there, stop growing you giant!" she reached up the flicked my forehead lightly with another grin. I rubbed the spot on my head.

"It's not my fault you stopped growing when you were in junior high, shrimp," I flicked her back with a smile of my own. She stuck her tongue out at me. "You wanna grab some coffee before we head back to the house? There's this really good place right by the docks that just opened up." _This'll give you plenty of time Vani, don't let me down._

"Yes! I could kill for a cup of coffee right now! Having to stare out of a window at the space between worlds makes me all weirded out." I nodded, offering her my arm, which she happily wrapped herself around. Since I'd gotten to the station the sky had cleared up a bit, so the fog had dissipated and a bit of sunlight was peeking through the clouds. The town this time of year was very quiet, tourists didn't come to visit the beaches in the winter so a lot of businesses relied on their regulars that lived on the island. Which is why this was also my favorite time of year, the irritation of the Summer left for the friendly Winter.

The snow crunched quietly under our feet as we walked in a comfortable silence. The wind whipped the snow off of the ground, creating tiny whirlwinds of the fresh white powder that would die off just as quickly as they had appeared. The town was quiet, the sounds of dock workers echoing up the streets and back to us, the bustle of the train station now left behind. A thought crossed my mind and I looked at my older cousin.

"I just realized this, Christmas is in a few days isn't it? It's the 23rd today," I rubbed my chin with my free hand and I could see her roll her eyes out of the corner of my vision.

"I knew that you would forget if I didn't come. What is it you guys have against Christmas?" I took a moment to think about it and then looked up at the sky, blowing a plume of steam into the air with a huff.

"There's the one obvious thing," I said, Yuffie nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, but it's been nearly a decade now Sora, you shouldn't let stuff like that bother you anymore," she said, nudging me weakly. I took another deep breath, letting it out very slowly this time.

"Well, Christmas is really more of a big family thing. Since it's been just Vanitas, Xion, and myself for so long now, Christmas isn't too big of a deal. Besides, all of our holiday spirit gets spent on Halloween every year." I looked down from the sky and saw her shaking her head.

"Whatever you say Sora," she suddenly grew very quiet. "You guys haven't been thinking about... **it,** have you?" her eyes fell to the ground, watching her feet as she walked. We rounded a corner and at the end of the road was the entrance to the docks, a wide wooden gate, and several shops lined the street, including a place with a simple sign that read "Terra's Coffee House" in green lettering on the dark oaken board.

"I haven't, but Vani got really quiet the other night so I think he must have been. Sometimes he can't help it, y'know? He still blames himself, I can tell." I opened the door for her, a light tinkling of a bell echoed throughout the room.

The shop was dark, even though the front wall was covered by two massive windows, and lit by six different ceiling lights that shone down on each booth. The tables were large and heavy, made from spruce. Each booth's seats made from the same spruce and a soft, stuffed red fabric trimmed with a gold colored rope. Three sat on either side of the shop, and on the far wall was the bar, which had been polished recently and reflected the single light hovering above. Several glass containers with different kinds of coffee lined the shelves behind it, along with several very basic white cups. However, sitting on the highest shelf, about a foot below the ceiling, was a shelf of six specialized cups, all painted with different designs. I knew that these cups were for the customers that came in everyday, because one of those cups was mine.

Behind the counter was a very tall young man with long, soil brown hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a white button up shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks, with the sleeves rolled just below his elbows. He was sitting behind the bar on a stool, a book in hand. When we came in he smiled brightly at me, waving. I waved back and moved to my usual booth, next to one of the windows.

"That's not good," she huffed and sat down next to me in the booth. A moment later Terra walked up to us, a steaming cup already in each hand before setting them down. Yuffie got one of the larger cups, but the one he set in front of me was phenomenal. The cup itself was slightly taller than hers, but the handle jutted out large and yellow, shaped like the the hand guard for a sword, and the rest of the cup was painted a metallic grey, the outline of my necklace charm was painted on in silver paint that glittered slightly. "Oh, um, we didn't order yet," Yuffie said, trying to be polite.

"It's okay Yuffie. This is Terra, he graduated a few years ago from my school and went travelling around all of the worlds he could. He just moved back and opened the shop a few months ago." He nodded and bowed slightly, holding out a hand to her. Yuffie shook it slowly and smiled shyly at Terra.

"It's nice to meet you," she said.

"It's nice to meet you too. So, Sora, when were you going to tell me you had a girlfriend? I thought you said we were friends," he teased. _Oh God, Yuffie please don't._ I looked at her and saw an evil glint in her eyes.

"It's not like that Ter-" I tried to explain, but the next second her arms were around me tightly and she kissed my cheek.

"You mean you didn't tell him yet?" she fake pouted. I groaned and wiped a hand over my face.

"Terra, this is my cousin Yuffie, she lives in Hollow Bastion. She got a train out here to visit for Christmas." He nodded, thankfully understanding. "Hey, thanks for the coffee though, it's eight munny a cup right?" I said, pointing at the two steaming cups in front of us.

"Don't worry about it today. Consider this a 'welcome to town' present from me. I hope I'll be seeing you around more Yuffie," he smirked, noticing the cherry blush gathering on her cheeks, and walked back to the counter, pulling the book back in front of his face, putting his feet up on the counter. Yuffie's jaw was practically on the table as she stared at the man with wide eyes and bright red ears. I lifted the steaming cup to my lips and took a large sip, the slight sweetness balancing with the dark, strong natural flavor of the coffee, with only a slightly bitter aftertaste. The warmth of the coffee washed over my body and I felt a flood of relief over my system.

"Hey Yuff, try the coffee." She turned to me and stared at me for a second in a daze before I pointed to my ears, making her realize how red her own were. She quickly moved her short hair to cover them more and then wrapped a hand around the handle of her cup. She took a small, cautious sip, and took it away from her lips with wide eyes.

"This is so good," the dark haired girl whispered to herself as she took another greedy sip. I smiled, bringing the cup back up and letting the hot coffee spill down my throat and warm my insides from the winter chill. "Seriously, how is coffee like this even possible?"

"You really can't guess? Wasn't one of your friends trying to become a Botanist?" I said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, Aerith is but she's been in Deep Jungle for four months now so I haven't seen her."

"Okay. Well, Terra just crossbred the coffee plants a few times, a pretty easy thing to do if you know how to do it right. See, plant life grows really quickly out here in the summer, so once he'd managed to get a coffee with a really good flavor he asked to come out to the island and use some pollen from the Paopu tree with his coffee plants. That's the very same coffee right there in front of you." She took another greedy sip and stared down at her coffee in a new solemn silence.

"I really wish Demetrius could have tried this, he would have loved it." A tear creeped into the corner of her eye and she turned, firmly planting her forehead on my shoulder. "What's this called again? I'm wanna make sure to get the same kind next time." I took a deep breath and poured more coffee down my throat before turning my face to the ceiling.

"Terra actually let Vanitas and I name it. It's called 'Dad's Late Night Brew.'" She looked up at me briefly, a spark of surprise in her eyes, she slowly set her cup on the table and wrapped her arms around my neck, her shoulders shaking slightly. I wrapped a single arm around her shoulders and held her close, tears seeping through my shirt. "Like you said, it's almost been ten years now."

She nodded slowly, wiping her eyes off before pulling back and looking at the coffee, sipping at it lightly in silence from then on. I did the same, making sure to savor every sip. Once we were both finished I returned the cups to Terra and we walked out of the shop with a quick wave to the older man and then strode past the rows of boats on the docks before we reached a small boat rocking gently in the motion of the ocean, carved with wave designs and a pair of eyes in the front and a small motor on the back. We both climbed in, making it rock slightly more before I pulled the cord on the engine, bringing my small vessel to life. Slowly, we sloshed out of the docks and out onto the swirling winter ocean. The roar of the engine blocked out all sound as it vibrated my arm, which was firmly holding onto the rudder grip. The chill of the ocean spray and wind began clearing my mind, the presence of the ocean itself making me happy again and washing away the memories and depression that had been so prevalent in the coffee house. I leaned forward and slapped Yuffie's shoulder lightly, forcing her to turn to me.

When she looked back her eyes were still heavy and downcast, and I nodded over the side of the boat, then smiled warmly. I knew that, like me, she was a fanatic about the ocean, especially for everything that lived in it. She smiled back and leaned on the side of the boat gently, resting her head in her crossed arms and looking down at the water as it slid beneath us with a loving expression. Ahead of us, two islands came into view. Slightly to the left was a large island, and on it a large building rose out of the ground, four stories tall and very long. It was the same school that was trying to recruit me, DIMA. On the far right was a small island with a house peeking out of the tree tops and a small dock with a dark boat tied to it. Out of the house rose a chimney, smoke billowing from the top.

"Almost home!" I yelled to Yuffie, trying to be loud enough to be heard over the engine. She nodded slightly, looking much more cheerful now, she sat up and looked at the little island Vanitas and I lived on. I revved the engine for the last push, trying to match the speed of the waves as they rolled onto shore. Then, shutting the engine totally off, I had the boat ride a wave right into dock and next to the other, darker boat. With a quick jump up onto the sturdy wood, I tied my small boat up and helped Yuffie out, reaching down and grabbing her luggage after.

"It's good to see that you guys still haven't burned the place down yet," Yuffie joked.I rolled my eyes and slung her bag over my shoulder, walking up the beach and onto a small dirt trail that cut through the dense forestry made up of palm trees and lead to my small home.

My home was raised up on ten foot stilts to keep it out of the water during bad storms, a long staircase reaching down to us. Yuffie followed me up the stairs to a small porch that stuck out of the front of the house with a few sturdy rocking chairs and a long wicker couch with thick cushions circled around an iron fire pit. I stepped up next to the large sliding glass doors and pulled my house key out of my pocket, then turned the lock open with a silent prayer that Vanitas had managed to make the house clean enough for Yuffie.

"Home sweet home," I said as the glass whooshed open and the scent of window cleaner caught my nose.

 _ **Kairi**_

"Do I really have to do this?" A set of headphones covered my ears and a microphone sat in front of me. My right hand held sheet music, the other resting on the microphone. My eyes rested on the couple in front of me sitting in the sound booth with huge grins plastered on their faces. Both nodded and Roxas shot me a thumbs up then reached down to a button on the panel in front of him, his voice echoing over the small space from the speakers hidden in the ceiling.

"Just take it nice and easy Kairi, this is a slower song that the admissions office picked out to showcase everything possible about your singing. They don't cold shoulder anyone, other than people that get recommended by the teachers. They make sure to test them a bit harder to avoid prejudice from said teacher interfering with the actual performance. None of that matters to you anyway though," he explained. I looked down at the lyrics and frowned in confusion.

"What kind of song is named "Penguin?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, Roxas simply shrugged, this time it was Namine who answered.

"It's an allusion. The song is originally by Christina Perri. It's a love song and a break up song at the same time. She singing about how she wants to be with one, true love her entire life until death. Penguins mate for life, hence the name of the song. You'll understand a bit more when you get into it." _**(A/n: Listen to this song cause it's so good!)**_

"Whatever you say," I sighed. Roxas shot another thumbs up and leaned forward, pressing a key on the panel, an acoustic guitar began playing lightly, like a lullaby. I held the paper up and looked at the notes, preparing for my entrance.

 **Can you find the time to let your lover love you?**

 **He only wants to show you**

 **The things he wants to learn too**

 **The hardest parts you'll get through**

 **And in the end you'll have your best friend**

 **Love like this may come once**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Like a soul mate, he's your penguin**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Not luck**

 **Can you find the time to let your lover hold you?**

 **He needs somebody to hold to**

 **His love is strong and so true**

 **His arrow is aiming for you**

 **And he's the one that you were born to love**

A vision danced in my head, of an old couple walking along a beach, the waves crashing gently along the shore, the setting sun warm orange and red, singing a song to them, their hands intertwined and they look into each other's eyes deeply, feeling a love and connection that still grew every single day.

 **Love like this may come once**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Like a soul mate, he's your penguin**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Not luck**

My voice died out slowly, leaving the note hanging. I poured everything I had into making my voice quiet, but still being able to carry the power of the song. _Silent power is the strongest kind_.

 **Let go**

 **Let go**

 **Of time for you**

 **And I**

 **Let go**

 **Let go**

 **Of time for you**

 **And I**

 **Let go**

 **Let go**

 **Of time for you**

 **And I**

 **Love like this is all I want**

 **Baby we're fate**

 **Love like this may come once**

 **Baby we're fate**

 **Like a soul mate, you're my penguin**

 **Baby we're fate**

 **Baby it's fate**

 **Not luck**

Slowly, my hand and the sheet music fell to my side. I looked over to the couple and blushed when I noticed them. Their hands were intertwined and they were staring deep into each other's eyes, for a moment I felt a flicker of jealousy in my chest, but it quickly vanished. _I don't even have anyone I like right now, there's no reason to be jealous of them_. I stood there a moment longer, feeling entirely awkward. I cleared my throat, trying to grab their attention, but to no avail. I coughed louder this time, and Namine quickly glanced over at me, then to Roxas, then to their hands, and a deep blush covered her face, so did his.

Smiling at her, he turned around and opened the door, stepping out into the studio with a big smile on his face. Namine ran past him and grabbed my hand between her own two, a happy energy racing around her now.

"That was really good Kairi! I knew you could sing, but that song just fit you like a glove! I've never actually heard your voice sound better!"

"Thanks! I was really hoping that you guys would like it, but not to the degree that I saw happen," I said, wiggling my eyebrows at her. A rosy blush crept onto her cheeks again, and Roxas slid his arm around her waist.

"What can I say? I'm a man in love," he put a hand to his chest and looked up dramatically. I nodded with a huge grin on my face. _I am going to pick on them so much more before we leave._ "What do you ladies say we head upstairs and grab a drink?"

"Sounds good to me, you guys look like you could use a drink. It must have been pretty **hot** in that booth, huh?" I nudged them both with my elbow and got Namine to giggle. Roxas let go of her and gestured for us to follow him. We ran up another flight of stairs onto the third floor. This one was quite a bit darker than the other two, and it smelled like incense. We followed him past three rooms with the doors closed into a large living area. The walls were painted a light grey, and two long black leather couches faced a massive TV and entertainment system loaded with games. In the back left corner was a glossy wooden bar with a few stools. But what caught my attention the most was the paintings.

"Hey Roxas, who made these?" I asked. Hanging above the bar were two separate framed canvases. In the first, a gentle white light was cast on the smiling figures of two young blond boys, an evil glint in the eye of the one on the left. Both had startlingly blue eyes and it appeared as though the wind was ruffling their clothes. They held hands, and between their hands was a vibrant red rose. They stood with a sky blue background behind them, a white floor beneath their feet, small silver ripples echoing out from both of their feet. It was framed in an intricately carved oak wood.

The second painting was a stark contrast to the other. In this painting, the background was a sickly yellow, the floor pitch black. Two boys were shown in this painting as well, the first had chocolate brown hair and familiar blue eyes, a single bloody hand was held to his face, covering his right eye. His face was contorted like he was screaming, and in his other hand he gripped tightly to a bloody knife, I then noticed a small pool of blood on the floor in front of him. The second boy hid behind the first, his raven black hair almost identical to his brothers, a set of piercing yellow eyes stared widely at the scene in front of the two. Amidst the yellows, blacks, and reds, baby blue tears trailed down their cheeks. It was framed in a simple and clean cut pine.

He walked up next to me and smiled carefully. Then, reaching next to both paintings, he pulled a string and a dark purple curtain rolled down over the set.

"That, my dear Little Red, is a secret. The fact that we own these is even a secret, so make sure not to tell anyone alright?" He put a finger to his smiling lips and winking at me. I nodded once again, still curious, but understanding I didn't know him well enough yet to ask anyway. We both walked over to the bar, Roxas slipping behind it and ducked down while reaching into a mini fridge."Watcha want girls? I got every kind of soda under the sun in here."

"I'll have a Sprite," Namine said, leaning over the counter slightly to watch him.

"I'll just have a Canada Dry, thanks" I responded. He popped up a second later with both of our drinks in hand, and a Dr. Pepper caught between his teeth.

"Ere oo go! (Here you go)" he set them on the counter and popped the top off his own with a satisfying chug. I started sipping at my own soda, looking around at the room in wonder again. "You know Kairi, it's not everyday you find someone who likes drinking something that diabetes-riddled." he teased, waving to the can in my hand. I rubbed the back of my head and shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm a girl with a big sweet tooth," I teased, mimicking his hands.

 _ **Sora**_

"Good to see you guys actually bothered to clean before I got here this time," Yuffie said, looking around the room. The living room and kitchen were conjoined, the kitchen being on the right side had a small aisle with U shaped counters making it up. The countertops were made from a brown granite, the cabinets a simply polished redwood with large iron knobs. The floor was polished hardwood, a metallic oven and stove that were about three years old sat at the far end of the U. On the left was the living room, the carpet plush and soft, just like the old deep brown couch and recliner that sat in front of the fireplace, which had a fairly big TV hanging above it and a stack of wood tucked into the corner near by.

Between the two rooms in the far wall was a small hallway that lead to the three bedrooms and bathroom of the house. My room was on the far right, and Vanitas the far left, we usually let visitors use the spare room, but otherwise it was empty aside from the Queen sized bed.

"What do you mean by 'bothered to clean?' We always make sure the house looks this nice." She scoffed at my blatant lie.

"I could believe that if just you lived here Sora, because you're a little neat freak. But that twin of yours is always making a mess, don't think I've already forgotten when you came to visit for thanksgiving last year," Yuffie leaned towards me and waved a finger in my face with a raised eyebrow.

"Trust me, we haven't forgotten either," I grabbed her finger and pushed it away from my face. "Vani! We're home!"

"Back in my room! And stop calling me that damn name already!"

"Go ahead and get yourself situated in the spare room Yuff, I'll get my stuff put up and start on dinner."

"Okay," she said with a shrug. Entering the hallway, I walked up next to my dark haired twin's door and knocked lightly.

"Is Xion with you?" I asked through the wood.

"I'm here Sora, we'll be out in a minute," a quiet voice answered me and I smiled lightly. Xion was Vanitas' girlfriend as of the past three years, and he was all the better for it. Xion's a really sweet girl, a metronome of stability to Vanitas' hurricane of emotion. Turning around, I opened the door to my room and threw my jacket onto the bed. My room was simple enough, the walls were painted a deep oceanic blue, a full size bed sat against the wall with a puffy black and white comforter, the bed left little walking room, but that's just the way I like it. Against the opposite wall from the bed was long wooden desk piled with drawings and homework. On the wall opposite of the door was a large bay window that looked out over a small stretch of a sandy white beach. I'd put the window in myself about two years ago and felt very proud of it. Outside the sun was setting quickly, the long winter night settling in quietly.

 _I really shouldn't leave those papers just sitting around there._ I stepped closer to the desk and began sorting out things out, all of my finished homework returning to a binder on the desk, the unfinished work sitting on top of it. I flicked through each of the drawings carefully, considering each one before either trashing it or carefully placing it into my portfolio drawer on the left side of the desk.

Five minutes later, with a quick nod, I made my way back into the living room. My eyes first fell onto the couple cuddling on the couch. Xion's navy blue eyes looked happily up at me from her place on Vanitas' chest, her shadow black hair spraying across his chest. Yuffie sat calmly on the recliner, her eyes glued to the news on the screen in front of her. Vanitas had his face buried in Xion's hair and was lazily tracing his finger across her shoulder. I smiled at the warm and familiar scene in front of me, then rolled up my sleeves and walked into the kitchen.

 _It's the perfect mood tonight, I'm making Dad's soup._ A warm smile on my lips and a small thrumming from my throat, to the tune of _Hallelujah_ by Leonard Cohen. I got a large pot out of the cabinet and set it on the stove, slowly adding milk, sour cream, cheese, and table creamer. Turning the heat on low, I put a lid on the top and pulled out a cutting board with a chef's knife. Moving to the fridge, I pulled out an onion, potatoes, and a few slices of bacon. I cut up everything into bite size pieces, and then threw it into a separate pan and cooked it slowly, letting the flavors mix together. When everything was cooked through, I carefully slid it into the pot and closed my eyes and the familiar and subtle scent wafted over me, I put the lid back on and nodded to myself.

Leaning against the counter, I reached across from me and grabbed one of the small sketchbooks I kept hidden around the house. I peeked around the wall and looked at my little family, my hand setting to slowly drawing and Xion formed clearly first, her small white jacket contrasting his dark shirt. Next came Yuffie, now hugging her knees on the chair. I smiled as the rest of the picture came to appear on the page, the lines from my pencil soft and light. When I was finally done I smiled and stashed the sketch book once again, checking the soup.

When I took the lid off the once subtle richness flooded over and onto the floor, and in the other room I could hear them sniffing at the air. Pulling out a ladle, I quickly poured soup into four bowls with spoons sticking out of the top. I picked up two in each hand and made my way into the living room.

"Dinner's ready everyone," I quietly said, placing a bowl in the hands of each person, I sat down against the fireplace.

"Something special happen today Sora?" Vanitas asked quietly when he noticed the soup. "It's not every day we get dad's specialty." I shrugged simply, looking down at the creamy dish in my lap.

"I'm not too good at...um, saying how I feel. This is my way of thanking all of you."

"What's there to thank us for?" Xion asked with a tender smile.

"For being my family, that's all" I said, scooping a small mouthful of soup into my mouth. I looked back up, only to find Yuffie smiling warmly down at me, I then looked to Vanitas who nodded in thanks, and Xion who offered a small thumbs up. I stood up slowly and walked over to a framed picture on the wall. In it stood a man with wild chocolate brown hair and a stubbly beard on his chin, black framed glasses on his face. He wore a simple grey suit and metallic blue tie, making his bright yellow eyes pop. A single cigarette poked out of his smiling mouth. I held up my hand and gave him a two-fingered salute. The others walked up next to me and held up his hand too, copying me.

"Dad's Rules to Life Number One-" Vanitas started.

"It's Good To Be Alive" I finished.

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 _All of you are my family, I can't thank you enough for that. I never want to lose any of you, but I know that one day I will. For now, let's stay in this moment, content with the presence of each other. I wish he was here to see us now, he'd smile, ruffle my hair, kiss Vani's head, and hum as he went back to clean up dinner. I miss him, but the pain from that loss has been filled with your love. Thank you for being my family._

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 **Okay, the original plan was for this chapter to be a bit longer, and I apologize that it isn't but this felt like the perfect spot to end the chapter, I don't want to get into anything too depressing with this one yet, and a lot of this may end up being little moments of family or warmth like this last part.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading once again! And I'll be seeing you soon! Review, rinse, and repeat!**


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